Home Finance and Budgeting

Everyone has their own unique view when it comes to love and money. Some people believe that money grows on trees while others believe that it’s in very short supply. Some prioritize saving while others spend liberally as soon as the money arrives in their bank accounts. If you’re currently in a relationship that may lead to marriage one day, now is the time to start thinking about your financial compatibility with your partner. More people divorce due to financial “infidelity” than any other cause. Here are a few things to look out for when deciding if you and the person you’re dating are a match moneywise.

In many cases individuals are pressured into cosigning home loans for family members, friends or significant others. The results can be less than desirable, to put it as nicely as possible. Before you make this very serious financial decision carefully review the downsides and put the situation into the proper perspective.

Issues with Non-Payment

The first most pressing risk of cosigning a home loan is the chance that the other signer will fall into difficult financial times and stop making regular payments. As the cosigner you have to pick up the slack unless you want your credit to be destroyed as well. If the loan goes 30 days overdue the mortgage lender can begin reporting negative information to your credit report.

I have been seeking financial guidance for years, but never had the discipline to sit down and really read a complete money guide. While browsing Audible recently, I finally found just what I needed — an audiobook about pursuing financial freedom, investing and all of the important topics that have eluded me in the past. It’s called MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins.

I trust Tony’s advice when it comes to motivation and having a positive self-image — the guy has gotten results on so many fronts — so naturally I was interested in his money advice book. His steps are very clear and concise, but you have to listen when you can give your full concentration and attention. This is an audiobook that you listen to in nuggets over an extended period of time and add plenty of bookmarks.

Here is a simple tip for how to get free stuff (including coupons and discounts) from the companies that you love.

There was a fast food restaurant in my old neighborhood that normally had very bad, slow service. Every time I left, I was sorry that I ever went! It was that bad.

But then one day I went in and everything was completely different. The clerks were nice, the service was lighting fast and the fries were very fresh and crispy. I decided to write the fast food chain headquarters a nice letter about how much I appreciated the change to that location.

A few weeks later, I opened up my mailbox and there was a letter from the fast food chain’s headquarters. Inside was a bunch of coupons for free food! I was so excited.

My family and I absolutely LOVE cheese of all kinds, but it can be expensive to keep the fridge stocked. Here is a tip for saving money on cheese in the future.

When you purchase shredded cheese in a bag, the manufacturer charges you for that convenience. Also, the manufacturer puts additives in the bag to preserve the cheese and to keep it from clumping. So I have come up with an easy way to shred your cheese yourself, with little effort — whether it’s mozzarella, provolone or cheddar cheese for tacos.

Here’s a simple holiday tip that saves me a lot of money every year. It actually benefits my wallet the year after the purchase: buy all of your Christmas stuff in January.

One year, I was browsing in my local pharmacy and found incredible sales on all remaining Christmas items. I mean everything you can think of. For example, holiday lights, wreaths, wrapping paper, figurines, tinsel, stocking stuffers, candy canes etc…. They were all at least 40% to 75% off the original price. You can basically cover 2 to 3 Christmases at once. I quickly filled my cart!